As the head baker at Auckland’s Hill House Café, Nonjabulo "Jabs" Ndlovu has always been passionate about creating and implementing new recipes in the kitchen.
Ndlovu was born and raised in Ashdown, a small town in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, where she completed her high school education and continued at The International Hotel School in Durban.
Her journey in the culinary world began in 2013, right after graduation, at Kloof Country Club in Durban, where she worked as a pastry chef for nearly two years. She then secured an international internship in the United States, where she worked as a commis chef for a year.
Due to her additional level-five qualifications in professional cookery, she initially took on roles in the hotline. After completing her training, Ndlovu was offered a permanent position as a demi chef but decided to explore New Zealand and its cuisine.
With the help of a school friend, she secured another internship, which led her to work at The Hermitage Hotel in Mount Cook, South Island.
She said that she had dreamed of working abroad since her teenage years, which drove her to enrol at The International Hotel School. She began at Pepperjack in Beachlands as a Senior CDP, where she impressed her colleagues and was put in charge of the cabinet, lunch, and dinner desserts. She even had a dessert named after her, the Jabs' Malva.
“My eagerness to learn and grow in the hospitality industry led me to accept this opportunity with both hands,” said Ndlovu.
“The most rewarding part of my job is seeing the smiles on customers' faces as they appreciate my freshly baked goods.”
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